Heat exchanger



Aug. 30, 1932. w J, RYAN 1,874,360

HEAT EXCHANGER Filed Deo. 2, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l o/l.v OUTLET a o/L /NLET ff WH HH @l ATTORNEY W. J. RYAN HEAT EXCHANGER Filed Dec. 2, 1930 2 'SheetS-Sheeb 2 UUUDUDU 0 2 O T J a v o 2 uw u H u v. wm U D E IUI UUJ w E u un HHH 7 0 2 Il'. 2 6 1 z i? l1 Y l.' I" I'I l T i v M 7 w v G ,N n w. E f f ,f INBTWQQU RE om. |17 nml V Patented Aug. 30, 1932 l Lamm UNITEDl STATES PATENT oFFlcE WILLIAM J'. RYAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB T0 THE TEXAS COMPANY, OFNEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE HEAT EXCHANGEB.'

Appmaaon 1aed nember 2', 1930. serial no. 499,503.

This invention relates to heating devices of the kind that are used for causing a heated substance flowing thru one conduit to give up its heat to a continuously changing body i of fluent substance moving thru a juxtaposed conduit, and refers more particularly to an apparatus comprising an element having a pluralit of longitudinal passageways and a pluralityv of adjacent transverse passageways arranged in alternate relation and-disposed so as to effect an interchange of heat between a continuously changing body' of liquid or gas flowing thru the longitudinal passageways and a continuously changing body of liquid or gas which is being drawn or` forced thru the transverse passageways in a direction generally counter current to the other body.

The principal object of the invention in its broadest aspect is to provide simple and ehci'ent means .for causing hot vapors which escape from an evaporating tank to give up their heat to a body of relatively cool liquid which is being drawn or forced thru a conduit to a heating zone.

In a specific application the invention prO- vides novel apparatus particularly ada ted P -with the lighter ones and to be carried overto accomplish the double purpose of con ensing certain lportions of a petroleum'vapor and heating a relatively c ool iiuid by passing the two substances in heat interchange with each other. In the pyrogenous conversion of relatively heavy hydrocarbon oils, it is ordinarily desirable to employ fractionating or dephlegmating apparatus, in combination with the cracking means, for condensing and separating certain of the higher boiling fractions evolved during the processing. These condensates may be discharged then from the system or they may be returned to the cracking or vaporizing equipment for further treatment. It is not uncommon, for example, to use for this purpose a fractionating or. dephlegmating tower provided with suitable packing of the order of bubble trays and caps, rocks, chains, or other bailiing orl restricting means, which h as openings and flow lines as necessary for lts proper operation.

Vapors from the still enter such a tower at a suitable point, which may be near the bottom, and are permitted to bubble up thru the tower in open relation with the packin and refiuxing condensate which is formed by part of the vapors being condensed due to heat losses to the packing. material and the wall of'the tower. This condensate is separated andtrapped out thru openings at the bottom or at other points inV the tower,

'and the remaining vapors eventuall emerge thru an opening near the top of t e tower. and are disposed of in some favored manner. It is sometimes of advantage to introduce into the upper portion of a dephlegmating of fractionating'tower of this type, a certain amount of relatively cool oil to assist in removing by condensation the undesirable heavier constituents of the vapor which have escaped condensation in the lower portion of the tower.

It is of particular importance, with reference to this class of equipment, to provide means for separating rapidly andv efficiently the lower boiling products having desired lcharacteristics from all higher boiling products of distillation. To allow the heavier roducts of distillation to be entrained along head mechanically, would obviously defeat the very purpose of, the installation. It would result in contamination of the lower vboiling distillates having desired characteristics, with higher boiling ones having objectionable qualities. On the other hand, to allow the lighter fractions to be trapped out and recycled thru the system, would result of course in decreased efficiency, with corre-v ployed in such apparatus, which increases the facility withl which liquids may be carrie'd mechanically from one elevation to another within the tower. On the other hand, certain of the lighter fractions may be condensed along with the heavier ones and withdrawn from the system or returned to cracking or vaporizing equipment for further treatment.

My invention contemplates the use of apparatus peculiarly adapted to the purpose at hand by means of which a condensation and separation of the higher boiling fractions will be rapid and complete and one which will also bring about a continuous redistillation of the lighter fractions which might have been unintentionally precipitated with the heavier ones before these reach the trapping out means.

The economy of m invention both as regards installation an operating costs will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The accompanying drawings, which are to be considered in connection with the following description, illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, but are not to be understood as imposing any limitations on the spirit and scope of my invention which is defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. I is a sectional view in .plan of a heat interchange unit constructed accordin to the invention, taken on the line I-I of ig. II.

Fig. II is a sectional view in elevation taken on the line II-II of Fig. I.

Fig. III is a sectional view in elevation taken on the line III-III Vof Fig. I.

Fig. IV is a fragmentary view of a baffle plate showing staggered arrangement of perforations before corrugating the plate.

Fig. V is a diagrammatic illustration of a plurality of slightly modified heat interF change units arranged in series indicating the transversely arranged paths of the substances passed there thru.

Fig. VI is a sectional View taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. V.

Fig. VII is a sectional view taken on the line VII- VII of Fig. V.

Referring now to Figs. I, II, III, IV, of

the drawings, a casing is composed of a shell l and end cover members la and 1b having an oil inlet 2 and an oil outlet 3, and a vapor inlet 4 and a vapor outlet 5. Arranged within the casing and communicating with the oil inlet 2 and the oil outlet 3, is a plurality of longitudinal slot-like oil passageways 6, 7, 8, 9, separated by partitions 10, 11, 12. The partitions are situated so as to alternate the direction of flow ofthe oil thru the longitudinal slot-like oil passageways 6, 7, 8, 9, and to effect a general counteriiow relation with the vapors thru adjacent alternately disposed transverse passageways 13. A corrugated battle 14 containing staggered rectangular perforations is placed in each ofthe passageways 13 all of which communicate with the vapor inlet 4 andthe vapor outlet 5. The assembly of metal plates forming the oil passageways 6, 7, 8, 9, and the adjacent alternately disposed vapor passageways 13, is securely mounted on a pair of tube or passageway sheets 16,' 17, and these in turn are securely fastened inside the casing. A pair of valved condensate drain pipes 18 and 19 are provided for draining ofi such condensate as may be precipitated from the vapor in this zone.

In operation, relatively cool oil supplied from storage not shown is admitted' at the point 2 and passed successively thru the 1ongitudinal slot-like passageways 6, 7, 8, 9, in heat exchange relation with vapors produced in communicating cracking or vaporizing apparatus not shown, which are introduced into the casing at the inlet 4 and passed thru the adjacent alternately disposed transverse vapor passageways, 13 and discharged at the outlet 5. The flow of oil thru the system not only is at right angles to the flow of vapors, but the direction of the oil, entering at the point 2, moved down thru the longitudinal passageways 6, up thru the passageways 7, down again thru the passageways 8, and up thru the passageways 9, then discharged at the point 3 is generally counter current to the flow of vapors thru the adjacent alternately disposed transverse vapor passageways 13.

Partial condensation of the vapors is laccomplished by the heat interchange with the relatively cool oil, and separation of the heavier precipitating condensate is aided by the rapid change of direction thru the staggered perforations in the corrupatedbaliie plates 14 and by the contact and coalescing of the liquid particles thereon. The condensate thus gathering flows down over the baille 'plates' 14 under continuous exposure to the warm vapors passing thru and the .unintentionally entrained lighter vapor is accordingly subjected to continuous redistillation, while the remaining heavier condensate is trapped out thru the valved outlets 18, 19, to be returned to cracking or vaporizing equipment or otherwise disposed of. In this novel and effective manner substantially all of the heat withdrawn from the'entering hot vapors is transferred directly to relatively cool oil, which may then be further heated as necessary and ultimately charged to cracking or va orizing equipment.

eferring now to Figs. V, VI, VII, of the drawings, a plurality of small single pass units 20, 21, 22, are arranged in series, preferably superposed. A vapor line is arranged to conduct vapors from cracking or vaporizing equipment not shown into an inlet 23 of the units 20, 21, 22, which are appropriately connected in this sequence for vapor communication, and an outlet 24 is connected to a disposal line not shown; An oil line is arran ed to delivera stream of relatively cool oil rom a source of supply not shown' into an inlet 25 of the units 22, 21, 20, which are appropriately connected in this sequence foroil communication, and an outlet pipe 26 is connected to a disposal pipe not shown. Arranged within each of the elements 20, 21, 22, and communicating with the respective oil inlets and outlets, is a plurality of longitudinal parallel slot-like oil passageways 30. Alternately disposed adjacent each of the longitudinal slot-like oil passageways 30 and communicating with the res tive vapor inlets and outlets, is a plurahty of transverse vapor passageways 31 having corrugated baiiies 32 containing rectan ular sta gered perforations. In general t e assem lg: of these individual units resembles that of i s. I, II, and III, with the exceptions, that t e flow of the liquid or cool oil is downward and unbroken and the oil is forced into and out of the units thru single openings and a conden'sate is withdrawn from the vapor section of each unit. The general counter flow movement of the substances undergoing heat interchange is accomplished by superposing the units rather than situating a plurality of oil passages side by side in a single unit.

Apparatus of preferred form and construction has been illustrated and described for the purpose of showing a way inwhich this invention may be used, but the inventive thought upon which the application is based, f

is broader than. this illustrated embodiment thereof, and I therefore intend no limitations other than those imposed by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An improved apparatus for efectinor a heat transfer'between a'relatively hot an a relatively cold fluid comprising a casing having separate inlets and separate outlets f or the fluids, a plurality of passages leading from one fluid inlet to the outlet, a plurality of passages juxta osed transversely thereto and arranged a ternately therewith and means in said last mentioned passages for breaking up the body of fluid as it is moved therethrough, said means comprising a plurality of corrugated baille plates mounted and gnerally counter current to the other fluid, ailles in said second passages consisting of corrugated sheets having staggered perforations in the corrugations for reaking up the bodyof fluid as it is moved transversely there thru.

3. A heat exchange device comprising a casing, means for passing fluid through said casing in' a plurality of Atortuous paths, means for passing a second fluid through said casing comprising a plurality of paages arranged between said tortuous paths, and corrugated bales arranged in sald -passages transversely to the direction of flow of said second fluid, the corrugations of saidbaflles being provided with perforations through which said second fluid passes, said er orations serving to break up said secon fluid in its path through said casing.

4. In fractional condensation apparatus, means for passing relatively hot vapors in heat interchange relation with relatively cold liquid comprising a casing having separate inlets and separate outlets for the fluids, unobstructed passages leading from the liquid inlet to the outlet, adj'acent'vapor passages arranged alternately with said first mentioned passages, perforated plate bailes in said vapor passages for breaking up the streams of vapor as they are moved transversely therethrough and means for withdrawing condensate from said vapor pas sa es.

n testimony whereof I have hereuntoV set my hand this 7th da of October, 1930.

ILLIAM J. RYAN.

transversely of said latter passages and provided with perforations through which said fluid must pass in moving therethrou h.

2. An improved apparatus for e ecting 'a heat transfer between a relatively hot and a relatively cold fluid comprising a casing having separate inlets and separate-outlets for y the fluids, a plurality of passages leading from one fluid inlet to the outlet which are arranged to conduct the fluid first in one direction then in another and a second plurality of passages juxtaposed transversely and arranged alternately with said first mentioned. passages so as to move the fluid transversely 

